Sport psychology can roughly be defined in two ways; how psychology affects sporting performance and how sporting performance affects psychology. When most people think of sport psychology they think of elite athletes at the top of their game. The young football striker battling with confidence waiting to score his first goal in top flight football. The golfer, taking a deep breath on the green, desperately trying to calm his nerves before his shot. The sprinter sitting in the call room visualising when she’s going to kick, the sprint finish and sweet taste of victory after crossing the line. Sport psychology is utilised by athletes all over the sporting world looking for that mental edge that will be the difference between winning and losing at the top level.

Yes it can be that, but it can also be so much more. 

Whilst sport psychology claims the limelight winning the world titles and trophies, his little brother hides in the shadows, doggedly working behind the scenes, silently shaping the lives of all of us. His name is exercise psychology. 

This looks more at the psychological factors involved in participating in sport, exercise and physical activity. 

Why is it that Jim from work wakes up every morning at 5am for a 10K run but Mark can’t even bring himself to walk the dog in the evening?

Why do so many of us spend all day sitting around, pretending we can’t see the treadmill in the corner we optimistically bought last year on a New Years resolution whim? 

We know exercise is good for us, we know we should probably do more of it, but most of us don’t. 

This Girl Can, Change 4 Life and other public health campaigns have exercise psychologists working on them, trying to engage as many people as possible, get more people active and healthy. This has huge implications for our NHS, workplace productivity and health as well, of course, the potentially life changing benefits for individuals.

A Brief History of Sport Psychology

It’s no secret that mind and body health affect each other, the ancient Roman poet Juvenal put it best ‘mens sana in corpore sano’ (a healthy mind in a healthy body). However, historians believe that Juvenal wasn’t in fact encouraging us to embrace physical activity but instead commenting on the plights of old age.

Regardless, it can still be argued that the discipline of sport and exercise psychology has been studied throughout history with several ancient civilisations recognising the important connection between sport, exercise and well-being.

A Brief History of Sport Psychology

The first documented research into sport psychology was done by American scientist Norman Triplett in 1898. He observed the differences in cycling performance when cycling as a team compared to alone. 20 years later a fellow American,  Coleman Griffith became known as America’s first sport psychologist. Griffiths dedicated a great deal of his career to studying basketball and football (soccer to him) players, interested in their vision, attention, reaction times and muscle tension amongst other things.

American’s weren’t the only ones beginning to explore the world of sport psychology. German scientist Dr Carl Diem was making progress in the field. Conducting several experiments and studies in 1920s Berlin he published the book Body and Mind in Sport in 1921 documenting his findings about physical attributes and aptitude. 

Many other countries began their own research into the new field. The Soviets, not wanting to be left behind launched a sport science programme to improve their athletes on the world stage. This was further fueled by political rivalry and tensions during the Cold War era (1946-1989).

Academics across the world came together in 1965 to host the first World Congress in Sport Psychology. From this meeting the International Society of Sport Psychology was born with delegates from Europe, Australia and the Americas. 1979 saw the publication of the first Journal in Sport Psychology paving the way for future peer reviewed research.

Sport Psychology Today

In more modern times sport and exercise psychology has gone through a transition. These days it is fighting to assure the quality of it’s practitioners. 

Within the UK responsibility for Sports and Exercise Psychologists now comes under the British Psychology Society (BPS) and the Health Care and Practitioners Council (HCPC) with input from the British Association of Sport and Exercise Scientists (BASES). The title is protected and accreditation can be awarded by the BPS and HCPC to individuals who are adequately trained and qualified. This means it is illegal for someone to call themselves a Sports and Exercise Psychologist without being registered with the HCPC.

What Sport Psychology can do for you

So sports and exercise psychology has ancient roots, a developing professional body and lots of up and coming research, but how can it be useful to our everyday lives?

Athletes are performers, they are learners. Humans are performers and learners. 

Ever had to give a presentation? Work in a team? Balance a large workload with family and personal commitments? Ever doubted yourself? Struggled to set a goal and stick to it?

Sport and exercise psychology is for you.

Sport and exercise is a platform for the skills we all use on a daily basis. Overcoming anxiety, stress, staying motivated, working as a team, achieving goals are all things we do everyday in our lives but are also amplified in a sporting context. 

The ideas and skills explored in sport and exercise psychology can be transferred to lots of aspects of our daily life: 

• A swimmer may engage in positive self-talk before entering the pool; the nervous graduate might do the same before interviewing for their dream job.
• A coach could educate their athletes about motivation to improve effort in training; a teacher might do the same to a class of disengaged teenagers before their GCSEs. 
• A rugby team might buy new kits to build a sense of identity; a company might launch a new uniform.

I find the world of sport and exercise psychology fascinating. The benefits are significant, whether you’re a world class athlete, a Sunday league champion or just someone who wants to improve their everyday life.

Whether you too think sport and exercise psychology can benefit your life or you just enjoy learning about this relatively young science, I hope my future posts can give you an insight into just a little of the wide world of sport and exercise psychology. It might even help you improve your own life too. So enjoy reading and I hope to see you again soon!